Shark Attack

This Ten Eyewitness News report from 1989 tells of the first known shark attack to take place in a Gold Coast canal. Ten-year-old Kris Fredriksen was swimming in the water outside his home in Mermaid Waters when the two-metre shark bit his leg. 

Waterfront canal living is a feature of the Gold Coast. Residences with canal frontage often have pontoons with boats allowing direct access to the sea. As a consequence, sharks can travel up the canals, using them to feed and give birth.

Researchers believe bull sharks are frequent lurkers in some of the city’s busiest waterways and dedicated shark hunters claim to capture at least one a week. While fatalities have been rare, it's still unwise to swim in the Gold Coast waterways, particularly around breeding season.